Why have we been told to avoid certain actions?

Allah created us and gave us many abilities - to think/cry/see/hear/walk/talk/dream/emotions/love/hate/etc, our own planet, a partner, one after the other we have so many great gifts from Allah, and many ways to enjoy this life and be happy. Allah gave us so many things to do, so many places to visit, so that we stay happy in life. But He also warned us about the things that can be destructive and damaging.

Some things are obviously dangerous and we avoid them e.g. we don't pour boiling water over ourselves because the impact will be immediate (a few seconds). With others it is less obvious, e.g. smoking or drinking - the pain/harm is not experienced immediately but usually after a period of time. One man might get drunk and get run over by a car. Another might drink for 70 years and then suffer with liver problems. Allah is our Creator, He warned us out of Love for us, not because he didn't want us to be happy and enjoy ourselves. Sometimes we like a thing which is bad for us.

Had He not told us, we would've been like lost children, not knowing the difference between good and bad or right and wrong. We would have used our knowledge and abilities to work out some things for ourselves but our reasoning and assessment have limitations. But the sad fact today is that people choose to neglect the Guidance from Allah and live life according to their own rules, so in effect, they do end up as lost children, not knowing what is good, what is bad, believing whatever is popular and following the crowd in general, like blind sheep.

Sameer

http://islamicpoint.blogspot.com